Hold-down device for frameless window screen



Aug. 21, 1956 A. LANG HOLD-DOWN DEVICE FOR FRAMELESS wmnow SCREEN Filed Feb. 3, 1955 2 Sheets- Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

1045527 LfiNG A. LANG Aug. 21, 1956 HOLD-DOWN DEVICE FOR FRAMELESS WINDOW SCREEN Filed Feb. 3, 1955 2 Sheerls-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

04 55 27 m/ve BY QZZW /W United States Patent HOLD-DOWN DEVICE FOR FRAMELESS WINDOW SCREEN Albert Lang, Oakland, Calif.

Application February 3, 1953, Serial No. 334,931

2 Claims. (Cl. 160-328) 'and inexpensive bar hold-down device adapted to be mounted on a casement frame and operable to hold down a screen bar to place the screen under tension.

More particularly objects of the present invention are to provide a frameless window screen arrangement including a sheet of resilient screen material, a bar connected to one end of the screen material,and a bar holddown device adapted to be mounted adjacent the top of the bar, having a floating slide resting on top of the bar, and a slide actuator operable for causing downward movement of the slide and therefore downward movement of the bar; to provide such a construction wherein the slide has an outwardly and upwardly inclined follower face engaged by the bar when the bar is moved from an outward to an inward position to cause elevation of the slide to dispose the same in resting engagement on top of the bar; and to provide such a construction wherein there is a mechanism to releasably latch the slide in its downward position.

Various other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a casement frame having mounted thereon a frameless window screen arrangement embodying the concepts of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the hold-down device in its operative position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the hold-down device in its inoperative position, with the slide being supported by the bar.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a hold-down device in its inoperative position with the slide being unsupported.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, there is disclosed a casement window frame 9 of conventional construction having a window opening 11 defined by a rectangular face portion 13. Mounted on face 13 by a top screen edge holding assembly 15 and a bottom screen edge holding assembly 17 is a sheet of resilient screen material 19 laterally overlapping the edges of face 13 defining the sides of opening 11. The top and bottom screen edge holding assemblies complete the closure of opening 11.

Top screen edge holding assembly 15 includes a top screen holding bar 21 supported by brackets 23 adjustably secured by screws 25 to face 13.

Bottom screen edge holding assembly 17 includes a bottom screen edge holding bar 25 of conventional conice struction, the particular bar shown having a doubled portion of the lower end of the screen fitting thereinto as shown whereby the bar and screen are connected. However, any conventional bar may be employed instead of the particular bar shown.

For releasably holding bar 25 down and placing screen material 19 under tension, there is provided a pair of laterally spaced bar hold-down devices 27 of identical construction, said devices being mounted on face 13 in a manner to be presently described.

Each hold-down device includes a housing 29 of outwardly facing channel-shaped configuration slidably receiving a floating slide 31, said slide also being channelshaped but facing inwardly. The side flanges 32 of housing 29 are step-shaped as shown to provide relatively short flange portions 33, which are of slightly greater depth than slide 31. Bearing against these flange portions is the head of a screw 35, the shank of whichis received through an elongated slot 37 formed in slide 31, through an opening 39 formed in the base of housing 29, and threadedly received by face 13 of the casement frame.

The length of screen material 19, the adjustment of brackets 23, and the dimensions of the parts making up the hold-down devices are such that the screen is slightly tensioned when the bar 25 is shoved under slides 31, so that the bar functions to force the slides upwardly into engagement with cams 41, there being a cam for each slide. Each slide has an outwardly extending horizontal flange 43 for engagement with its cam. Each cam forms an integral part of a lever 45 pivoted at 47 on housing 29, said lever being channel-shaped for the major portion of its length as shown. When the levers are swung clockwise to the position shown in Fig. 2, the rises on the cams progressively force slides 31 downwardly to properly tension screen material 19.

Each cam is provided with a relieved portion at 49 which is adapted to be brought into engagement with its slide near the end of the clockwise movement of the lever to effect a partial release only of the tension on the screen and therefore to releasably latch the lever and slide in their operative positions, and bar 25 in its held-down position.

The lower end of each slide is provided with an upwardly and outwardly inclined follower face 51 adapted to be engaged by bar 25 when the bar is moved from an outward to an inward position, whereby the slide is automatically elevated during such movement of the bar, to a position where the side flanges 31a of said slide rests against the top of said bar. The bottom of the inclined face 51 of each slide protrudes at 51a downwardly beyond the lower ends of side flanges 31a. Because of the slight tension imposed on the screen when the bar is shoved under the slides, the bar snaps under protrusions 51a and is thus lightly releasably held against face 13. After the levers have been swung to their clockwise positions to depress and latch the bar in its final operative position and place the screen material under increased tension, it is apparent that outward dislodgment of said bar past protuberances 51:: requires considerably greater force than before the levers were so moved, and hence the bar is securely held when in its final operative position against accidental outward dislodgment.

As is apparent from the drawings, the outer end of each inclined follower face 51 is reduced to allow it to fit between the side flanges of the associated lever.

By the present invention a frameless window screen construction has been provided including a hold-down device having a floating slide adapted to be automatically elevated when the bar is shoved under the slide, which slide is adapted to be thereafter forced downwardly by the operation of a suitable lever carrying a cam which engages the'slide'to effect proper tensioning of the screen.

While -I'-haveshown the preferred form ofmy invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art withdin departing from the spififbf the invention as defined infthe appended claims. Having thus described my inventiomwh'at I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: A hold-down device fora framele'ss'iwindo'w screen construction, comprising: "a -bar connected to one end of the screen material; and a bar hold-down device adapted to be mounted adjacent the top of -the bar, having a floating slide're sting on the 'top of-the bar, and a slide actuator operable for causing "downward mat/emailed 1 the" slide and therefore-downward'movement of the'bar,

said ctnator'co rnprising-a lei'r'ercarrying' a cam engageab thithe slide upon operationof the lever to cause downward me /emailed the slide, "said cam having a relieved-portionarrangedtobe brought into engagement with the sli'de a's the lever nears the end of its travel, whereby the lever is latched in its position wherein the 'bar-isPin its downwardmost position.

' 2; 'A liold-down device for a fraineless window screen "construction;comprising: a bar connected to one end "ofthe screen material, a bar hold-down device adapted to be mounted adjacent the top of the bar, comprising a housing having an outwardly facing channel portion foirif'n'ed with an opening in the base thereof; a floating slide-having adepth less than that of the channel portion and slidably received by the channel portion, resting against the top of -the--'bar-- and being formed with an elongated vertical slot; a screw of smaller diameter than the width of said slot received through said slot and the opening in the channel portion and adapted to thread into a window frame to mount the housing thereon without binding the slide; a lever pivoted on the housing carrying a cam engageable'with'the slide upon operation of thelevento causedownward movement *of-the slide, said cam having a i'lievdipor'tion arranged to be brought into engagement with the bar as the lever reaches the end of its travel 'to' latchthe s'lide'inits "downward posi tion, "said slide havingan outwardly facing, outwardly and upwardly inclined follower face engaged by the bar when the bar is rnoved from an oiitward to an inward position to cause an elevation of the slide to dispose the same in resting engagement with the top of the bar, the bottom of the follower face being disposed slightlybelow the portion of 'the slide which rests on 'the top' ofthe bar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UN'ITED STATES PATENTS 758,942 Taylor May 3, 1904 $449,275 Burns Sept. 14, 1948 2,500,470 "'Ru'st .Mar. 14, 1950 2,547,302 Bl-a'ser "Apr. 3,1951 -2,587,8-53 Jensen Mar. 4, 19-52 

